Hotel occupancy on the Grand Strand appears to be holding steady this fall, though public safety officials say attendance is down at this year's fall bike rally.
Coastal Carolina University's Brittain Center for Tourism says hotel occupancy on the Grand Strand will be around 70 to 72 percent this weekend. That's even with, or slightly higher than the same weekend last year.
But the report also shows room rates are down by about four percent.
One hotel manager on Ocean Boulevard says, the bikers are avoiding the City of Myrtle Beach, but business is still holding steady. "We've lowered our rates for fall. Lowered them for the winter. Occupancy is holding its own. It's not full but we're doing real well," said Faye St. Clair, Assistant GM, Hampton Inn.
The report from CCU shows, hotel occupancy over the last six weeks is up nearly 8 percent from the same period last year.
